


Kiss the boy

by beejones



Category: EOS 10 (Podcast)
Genre: I think this counts as fluff, M/M, Mostly this is just because I wanted that romance that was building through seasons one and two, all i want is for everyone and everything in the universe to be soft, and it ended up as this, plus Jane comes along to Janesplain everyone’s feelings at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:41:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22607185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beejones/pseuds/beejones
Summary: It’s canon that Ryan and Akmazian kissed at some point... so I took that and ran with it to an alternate reality where they got to kiss and then also got to be together ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Relationships: Akmazian/Ryan Dalias
Comments: 7
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is set during episode eight of season one. You know when I mean. When Ryan and Akmazian are on the Silent Storm for quite a lot of time. Together. All alone.

Ryan pushed the tablet away and rubbed his eyes, sighing. He’d been studying the test results Jane had sent through for hours, but Levi’s bloods still didn’t make sense. It was always going to be futile - more something to keep himself busy than anything else. It was silly to be so disappointed.

‘There’s a cabin on the lower deck.’ Akmazian’s words floated across the cabin diffidently, his eyes stilllocked on the external screens. Before Ryan could figure out if that was meant to be an invitation, Akmazian flicked him a laughing glance. ‘Don’t worry darlin’, your virtue’s safe with me. You just look like you need a rest.’

Ryan fought the urge to squirm. Relying on Akmazian, needing him, asking for his help... it all felt wrong. And worst of all was the secret worry, deep in his heart, that maybe he’d turned to Akmazian a little too easily, capitulated too soon. Wanted to see him. Wanted to spend time together. It was an awful thought, not least because Akmazian’s casual flirtatiousness now seemed to take on the significance of industrial-size hazard lights. _Warning_ , it said. _If you decide to do something stupid this man won’t stop you_.

‘Uh, right. Wake me in four hours, okay? We should both sleep before we reach Io.’

‘Know much about pilotin’ a spaceship, doctor?’ asked Akmazian laconically. He reached over to flick a small red switch on a large panel of small red switches. A whirring noise Ryan hadn’t even realised he’d noticed suddenly lowered in volume. He lost the battle to stay civil.

‘On Alliance ships, yes. On this one I guess I’ll just run up the sail and wait for a good headwind.’

Akmazian snorted. ‘Goddam, you can be a bastard.’

‘Excuse me?’ Ryan felt an irrational stirring of hurt.

‘Oh, don’t misunderstand me,’ Akmazian said quickly. ‘I like it. You’ve got all this-‘ he waved a hand expansively ‘angry and frustrated jerk inside of you but you keep bein’ a good guy on the outside. People respect that. They like you. You keep trying. Me, now... there never was much good guy, inside or out, even before the...terrorism incident.’

The words seemed to hang in the air of the starlit little cabin, stark with honesty.

‘Alleged terrorism incident.’ Ryan didn’t know why he said it; maybe because in a few short sentences Akmazian had pinned down something that other people had been missing for years. Maybe it was the unexpected sad note in the other man’s voice. But he said it, and Akmazian flashed him a surprised, grateful smile, and Ryan felt...flustered. Unsure.

‘Right.’ Ryan leapt to his feet. ‘Good night, then. Or good afternoon. You - sit here - and I’ll go sleep.’ He caught his foot in the chair leg on the way out. Because of course he did.

Coming back through the door seven hours later may as well have been seven minutes later, for all Ryan could tell. He’d slept badly and consciousness had returned hand in hand with anxiety. Levi’s health, Dr Urvidian’s likely relapse - unless whoever had poisoned Levi had kidnapped the Chief Medical Officer as well to make sure he couldn’t be cured, which was a horrifying new thought - and now this strangeness with Akmazian.

He shouldn’t have said it earlier - shouldn’t have suggested he would ever believe Akmazian’s claims of innocence - but seeing the other man’s face light up like that...

Christ, he could do with being high right now.

For a fleeting moment Ryan wished he could be in Dr Urvidian’s shoes, so that a few pills would be a minor relapse after a few months on the wagon and not a betrayal of fifteen years of gut-wrenching and exhausting sobriety. But then he stepped into the cockpit and saw Akmazian and thinking kind of...stopped. _Not naked_ Akmazian, he had to tell himself forcefully. Just...in a sleeveless top. A sleeveless, sweaty-and-oh-god-slightly-transparent top.

Ryan blinked and told himself to look away from the biceps.

‘...I took all of his money and I brought it home to Molly....’

Akmazian was singing softly, Ryan realised. Sitting here in an overwarm cabin, elbows braced on his knees as he tinkered with something small and metallic.

‘...she swore that she loved me; never would she...’

He had a good voice, Ryan noted absently. Of course he did. A smile made of sin and those biceps and perfect pitch. Jesus. When had he noticed all of this?

Akmazian glanced up. ‘Oh, hey. Don’t worry about the heat; the regulator had a fit but I’ve sorted it out. Should be back to normal in half an hour or so.’ He stood and stretched and Ryan quickly glanced away.

‘You didn’t wake me,’ he said hoarsely.

‘Naw.’ Akmazian threw an easy smile over one shoulder as he moved to look at the screens. ‘I put the ship on autopilot and slept on the couch for a few hours. Nothing I’m not used to. You’re the one who needs to be ready to do things on Io.’

This was probably all part of a nefarious long-running campaign to subvert Ryan’s loyalties, he knew. But...at what point did you have to appreciate the good things that people did, no matter their motives?

‘Thanks,’ he muttered.

Akmazian jerked his head at the cupboard kitchen attached to the cockpit. ‘There’s fresh tea in the pot. Take a seat. I just need to finish puttin’ these away and then you can tell me what coordinates to give traffic control.’

Akmazian didn’t look military, Ryan thought, idly watching the other man putter around the cabin. What with the piercings and the stubble it was hard to picture, but Ryan could kind of see it if her squinted. Something about the set of the shoulders.

‘’Scuse me.’ Akmazian’s voice broke in on Ryan’s thoughts. ‘Just got to put the spares away.’ He lifted a hand, displaying unidentifiable bits of metal.

‘Oh.’ Belatedly Ryan realised Akmazian was gesturing to the hatches behind the couch. He leaned sideways. Long moments passed, until Ryan was kicking himself for not getting out of the way properly. But the couch was really a smallbooth in the wall next to the door and staying still had seemed easiest and-

‘Nearly...done...just about...’ Akmazian cursed and thumped the cupboard door, which seemed to fix whatever the problem was. Ryan couldn’t really tell because he was staring too hard at the other man’s lips. They were so close, because stupid Akmazian was leaning over the stupid couch, strong arms braced against the wall while he latched the stupid cupboard. Leaning over Ryan.

‘What...’ Akmazian looked down and trailed off. His eyes met Ryan’s dazed ones, and then flicked down to Ryan’s lips briefly.

So close. So big. So fucking _sexy_.

Ryan told himself not to do anything stupid, but then Akmazian went and did it for him.

One hand dropped to cup Ryan’s face, one thumb ran over Ryan’s lips; Akmazian gave a funny half smile. And closed the distance between them.

It was the first time Ryan had kissed a man. That he could remember, anyway - there was no saying what he’d done in the heyday of his addiction. But mostly Ryan was surprised by how unsurprised he was; how unbothered by this blatant proof that stealing covert glances at Dr Osolong in the changing room hadn’t been about academic interest in musculature, and that...well, that about a million other things he’d tried to ignore had been signs he wasn’t straight.

‘Mmmph. Darlin’, I-‘

Instead of finishing his sentence Akmazian leaned down for another kiss. And another. Another.

He lowered his body down gently, thighs on either side of Ryan’s own, cradling Ryan’s face. The weight felt so good and his lips were so soft and Ryan couldn’t help trying to get closer. Trying to get more.

Kiss followed kiss until it seemed that all they had ever done was explore each other’s mouths on a tiny couch on a derelict space ship. Kissing Akmazian was so easy. So sweet. So desperately good.

Akmazian sucked on Ryan’s lower lip and Ryan felt his eyes practically roll backwards at the surge of pleasure it evoked. Any second now he was going to slide off this couch in a puddle of boneless lust. The floor might not be too comfortable but hmmm, if he slid sideways like this and pulled Akmazian like that... yes. Yes yes yes.

Lying down, he could feel more of Akmazian’s body, somehow still pressed tight despite being half off the couch. He could feel the thigh inserted between his own, rubbing just so. He could tug Akmazian’s shirt up at the back. And when the other man started sucking on his collar bones he could throw his head back in agonised pleasure -

A sudden coldness made Ryan blink in confusion. Akmazian was braced above him, face turned towards the control pad.

‘Shit, Io.’

_Io_ , Ryan’s brain repeated. Io, Io. Io was important because...?

‘We’re being hailed,’ Akmazian explained shortly.

They looked at each other for a long moment, until suddenly the press of Akmazian’s body wasn’t enough to keep the rest of the universe at bay. He scrambled upright, shoving Akmazian backwards, cheeks flushing. ‘Shit,’ he muttered.

‘Ryan, I-‘

The hail from Io’s space control sounded again, cutting off whatever Akmazian had been going to say. He paused, but Ryan didn’t say anything. Couldn’t even look at him.

Akmazian turned away to answer the call. And that was that.

Except two hours later, waiting for the landing hatch to open, Akmazian ran an awkward hand over the back of his neck and tried again.

‘No.’ Ryan forestalled him. ‘Let’s not do this. Let’s not, uh, make it awkward. It never happened, okay? We’re fine.’

Akmazian studied Ryan’s face, then gave a slow, silent nod.

And that really was that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dreaded middle chapter. There is suffering. But on the plus side, the chapter is short...?

Of course that wasn’t the end. It wasn’t that easy to forget. Of course he thought about it. Especially in...private moments. And when he was meant to be working. And when he was eating lunch.

Anyway.

Knowing that kissing Akmazian again was a bad idea didn’t mean they couldn’t work together. Couldn’t be co-conspirators. Couldn’t cooperate, at the very least.

Cooperation, that was what they had. And cooperation eventually led them to hunt down a lead on Ellion 5, and inadvertently crash a meeting of the Alliance Council, and expose a - _the_ \- hopefully _the_ , surely there couldn’t be more than one...? - shadowy system-wide conspiracy. Though Ryan would be the first to admit that it had been more through good luck than good planning.

Of course, being the Alliance, it wasn’t enough to get the Council’s support. They also had to go through the bureaucracy. Which had led them to twelve straight hours of administration in this very secure wing of this very secure hotel with a lot of very stern-looking security personnel.

By the time Ryan finally shook off the Alliance liaison officer he’d been assigned, and the military attache, and the _lawyers_ -lawyers! At this stage! - it was late. And he was tired. And he was all alone.

Levi and Jane had been planning to get drunk, Ryan knew. But that seemed like... too much. Responding to being alone by going drinking with Jane and Levi was like... was like... well, like a really bad idea, anyway.

He yanked absently at his tie and tried not to think how wandering the corridors in the mostly-empty building felt like the start of a horror movie. Add that to the list of thoughts to ignore.

Akmazian was slow to open the door. When he saw Ryan he raised an enquiring eyebrow. ‘You okay, doc? I thought you were gonna work out when they finished with you.’

A place with its own airfield and shuttle launch would definitely have a pool somewhere. Or at the very least a first rate gym. But Ryan shrugged. ‘Didn’t feel like it.’ He met Akmazian’s eyes deliberately. ‘Can I come in?’

Akmazian raised both brows this time, but he stepped aside for Ryan to pass.

Hotel room identical to his own, rumpled bed, paperback ( _why were they still called that, they hadn’t been made of paper for centuries_ ), glass of whisky. Ryan took it all in quickly.

‘Big night planned, I see.’

Akmazian shrugged. ‘I’ve never had my name cleared of terrorism before. In front of the entire Alliance Council. By accident. I’m still figuring out how you’re s’posed to do it.’

‘You’re supposed to celebrate.’

‘So they tell me.’

Ryan kissed him. It was too hard, and too sudden, and his nose was probably going to bruise tomorrow. So was the skin around where Akmazian grabbed his arms.

‘Ryan-’

‘Shut up.’ Ryan kissed him again, pushing forward into Akmazian’s heat, pushing everything else away. Akmazian looped an arm around Ryan’s waist and Ryan took that as a positive sign. He could slow down. A little, not much - the kiss was still desperate and full of energy, unhappy and frantic and angry and hot.

He shoved Akmazian backwards until they hit the wall. One hand scrabbled for shirt buttons; the other tangled in Akmazian’s hair. Here was comfort and forgetting; here was feeling, and life, and maybe even love. Akmazian’s mouth was sweet and sad and -

Akmazian pushed him away. ‘Stop,’ he said.

\- gone.

The sound of heavy breathing rang loud in Ryan’s ears. ‘What?’

‘I asked you to stop, darlin’.’

‘Yeah, I got that,’ Ryan snapped. ‘Do you mind telling me the fuck why?’

‘It’s not a good idea tonight. You’re not yourself.’

‘I’m the same as I always am! No chemical influencers, remember? No drugs. Not even a single glass of booze.’ Ryan glanced bitterly at the tumbler on the table.

‘I know.’ Akmazian’s accent had thickened with stress, but his face was set. ‘I also know that today you proved your old man was guilty of war crimes in front of the entire Alliance Council. And you sided with me to do it. I don’t think this is fair to either of us.’

‘Are you serious?’ Ryan threw up his hands dramatically. ‘You spend what, two years? telling me you want to fuck me and now I say okay and _you’re not into it_? What the fuck is wrong with you?’

‘Ryan-’

‘Or was it only a game? You just wanted to soften me up so I’d help prove you were innocent?’

Akmazian turned away and walked the few steps to the bed. ‘I’m not doing this with you, darlin’. We’re not fucking, and we’re not fighting.’ He bent to pull something from under the pillow.

‘I’m right, aren’t I?’ Ryan’s voice rose, furious. ‘This was all just a con to you, and- and now you’re done with me. I guess you’re done with all of us, huh. Does Jane know? Does-’

The pulse from Akmazian’s stunner hit Ryan square in the chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need to apologise for hand-waving over the big showdown where Akmazian is proven innocent and Ryan’s dad reveals he is a Very Bad Person. 
> 
> But let’s be honest - I write fanfic for myself. And this is where I wanted to go ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Hope you enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

‘So...how’re things?’ Jane swung her legs, idly scanning the papers on top of Ryan’s desk. The ones she wasn’t sitting on, anyway.

‘Do you mind?’ Ryan pushed back his chair. ‘I’m trying to work here.’

She cocked her head. ‘Are you though? Because I heard you tell the duty nurse that you’re taking another long lunch to go swimming. Even though you went this morning. And if the last two weeks are any indication, you’re probably gonna go after work too.’

‘So?’

‘So....I just thought I’d check how you’re going.’ Her tone lightened. ‘I mean don’t get me wrong, the man-fancying parts of this station are _very_ appreciative of your efforts. But it kind of seems like something the friend parts of the station should be worried about.’

Ryan glared. ‘I’m fine, okay? Completely fine.’

‘Uh huh.’ Jane nudged him with her toe. ‘Not still upset about your fight with Akmazian then?’

‘Wha-Jane! It wasn’t a fight!’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘It ended with him shooting you in the chest. That normally means a fight to me.’ She paused, then added musingly, ‘though honestly, not always.’

‘Jane...’

‘And then he got Dr Urvidian to put you under medical observation for a week and you couldn’t be left alone...that had to be annoying.’

‘It’s fine, okay? Goddamit, _I’m_ fine. I just need a bit of exercise.’ He pushed a box across the desk towards her. ‘If you’re not going to leave me alone you can at least help me sort these.’

Jane picked at the tangled contents of the box dubiously. ‘What is this? It looks like someone’s underwear drawer.’ She looked up eagerly. ‘Is it? Have you developed a stalkerish fixation with someone, Ryan?’

‘You do not sound concerned enough about me stealing people’s underwear.’

Jane shrugged. ‘You’re my friend. I support you.’

‘Uh, thanks, I guess? But this is from the staff lockers that got half melted in the Tanli explosion last week. I have to make sure there’s nothing sensitive in here before we put it all in lost property.’

‘Ooh, shiny.’ Jane wrapped something sparkly around her wrist.

‘Jane.’

‘Ugh, fine.’ She dropped it back in the box. After another meaningful _Jane_ , she rolled her eyes, picked it back up, folded it, and set it next to Ryan’s neat lines of staff personal effects.

A few minutes passed in silence. Voices drifted in from the corridor outside, shifts changing, patients coming and going. There was something about working in medical teams - it felt like you were part of a family, even when you were really an outsider. And sometimes the family thing became more real than you expected.

When Ryan was engrossed with untangling a Sphyssian headdress, she tried again. ‘He likes you, you know. Like really likes you. _Really._ He’s been checking in with me every couple of days to see how you’re doing.’

‘It was my fault, okay? I fucked up.’

‘So...you’re just going to avoid him forever, then?’

Ryan gave up on finesse and tried wrenching the headdress apart by force. ‘Did you ever think that maybe the reason he’s talking to you and not me is that he never wants to speak to me again?’

‘Maybe he feels bad about the fight too?’ The look Ryan gave her could have punched through reinforced steel. _Someone_ was in a bad mood. ‘Give me that, you’re going to break it.’

Ryan relinquished the tangled mess and hunched broodily in his chair. ‘And maybe you’re reading too much into this. I- hey, how did you do that?’

Jane placed the untangled headdress smugly off to one side. ‘Not distracted by unresolved sexual tension, I guess?’ He threw someone’s squash ball at her. ‘Ow.’ Another long pause. ‘Just because you like someone doesn’t mean you won’t fight about things. It’s about how you fight.’ She reached across the table and squeezed his hands. ‘And how you make up.’

‘I...’ Ryan swallowed. Let out a long sigh. ‘Thanks, Jane.’ He got up suddenly and walked around the table to wrap her in a tight hug. ‘Thanks.’

Talking about it with Jane turned out to be the easy part. Standing in front of Akmazian, mustering up the courage to speak, was... not so good.

‘Thanks for coming,’ he started.

‘Jane was pretty insistent.’

Akmazian’s tone didn’t leave a lot of room for optimism. Ryan swallowed awkwardly and wished he had something to hide behind. But he’d stupidly chosen to meet Akmazian in public, next to a fountain on the third deck above the Promenade. Hadn’t wanted him to feel trapped, and had ended up feeling vulnerable himself instead.

People wandered around them obliviously. Two Andrylites kissed on a nearby bench. A child ran past, screaming in excitement as an adult chased them with exaggerated, lumbering steps.

Akmazian’s face was impassive, his eyes fixed on Ryan. There was so much he didn’t know about Akmazian; a whole history. A history that probably carried more weight than whatever this thing was between them. Akmazian was confined to Eos 10 until all the legal processes were finalised, but then... probably there were places he wanted to go.

‘Thanks for coming,’ he repeated. ‘I’m sure you have better things to be doing. I just- I wanted-‘ He stopped. Took a breath. Glanced at Akmazian’s unreadable face, then away.

‘I’m sorry,’ he blurted out. ‘I am so, so sorry. I behaved appallingly. It was wrong of me to come on to you when I was so upset, and it was wrong of me to get angry at you when you stopped it. God, I...’ Ryan blinked, trying to dispel the sudden heat behind his eyes. ‘I messed up,’ he finished in a small voice.

‘You’re real cute when you’re miserable.’

Ryan jerked his head up, meeting Akmazian’s eyes properly for the first time. They were soft now, and Akmazian had a small smile on his face. ‘And you’re cute when you’re angry at me for not kissing you. Hell, you were even kind of cute unconscious from the stunner blast. And by that stage you were drooling.’

‘Akmazian-’

‘I forgive you. Don’ do it again.’

‘Really? But -’

He put a finger around the edge of Ryan’s jacket and yanked him a step closer. They were only a foot apart now, and Akmazian was using the tiny bit of height he had on Ryan to loom very effectively. He canted his head.

‘For the record,’ he confided, ‘I’m still _very_ interested in you, doctor. It wasn’t a con.’

‘O-okay.’

Akmazian raised an amused eyebrow at Ryan’s stammer. He flushed and sucked in a breath to say god knew what - but then Akmazian’s hand shifted up to cup his cheek. He leaned in slowly, giving Ryan time to pull away if he wanted to. Ryan didn’t, so Akmazian kissed him.

It was soft and thoughtful and brief - nothing like their previous kisses. When it ended they were both smiling.

‘I like you, Ryan. A lot.’

‘I like you too.’ With difficulty Ryan remembered the second part of what he’d come here to say. ‘But you’ve got options now. I mean, you’re not stuck in the cargo bay any more. You could-’

‘I know what I want.’ Akmazian kissed him again. For a while there was no talking.

Eventually Ryan broke away, breathing heavily. ‘That was - nice.’

Akmazian tried to grab his jacket again. ‘Come back here, doctor, and I’ll be even nicer.’

‘No. No!’ Ryan slapped at a wandering hand. ‘I want to do this properly. I want’ - Akmazian stole a kiss - ‘mmmph. Akmazian.’ Ryan took another step backwards and straightened his clothes, trying to restore his dignity at the same time. ‘Akmazian. Can I buy you a drink?’

The other man gave a long, slow smile. It grew the whole time he ran hot eyes up the length of Ryan’s body.

‘A drink, hey?’

‘A drink,’ said Ryan firmly.

‘And then...?’

Ryan blushed a hot red. Akmazian’s eyes seemed to see right through him, until it was just the two of them. Flesh to flesh. Heart to heart.

‘And then,’ he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hello, dear reader. Thanks for finishing this fic with me! It didn’t quite go the way I wanted it to, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. The world needs more Rykmazian fics, and done is better than perfect. Also your hair looks great today <3


End file.
